Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk pledged $1 million towards a new science museum at Wardenclyffe in Long Island, New York.
The billionaire entrepreneur, who is also the CEO of rocket company SpaceX, announced the funding for the museum on Thursday (July 10th), at a celebration of inventor Nikola Tesla's 158th birthday, according to NBC News.
"We're happy to be gathered at the laboratory of Nikola Tesla, the person we've come to celebrate," a museum official said at the event. "Thank you, Elon Musk!"
The funding was requested by Matthew Inman, creator of the 2012 Web comic "Oatmeal" that stated Tesla was "The greatest geek who ever lived." The popularity of the comic resulted in a 45-day campaign that raised over $1 million in nine days to keep developers from buying the Wardenclyffe site.
While the site was safe from being turned into a shopping center, the initiative didn't raise enough money to actually build the museum, according to PC Magazine. But now, Musk's donation brings Inman one step closer in his mission to bring the museum to life.
Despite the victory, the electric car company needs around $8 million to establish the Tesla Science Foundation as a fully functional museum, and additional funding may be required.
"It's been a year since we officially closed off Wardenclyffe, and after getting countless estimates from site planners, architects, and museum curators from all around the world, we determined that $8M is the bare minimum to build, staff, and maintain a Nikola Tesla Museum," Inman wrote in a blog post. "While we'll be grateful for any amount, any less than $8M would pretty much leave us in the same boat we're in now."
Musk will also have a Tesla Supercharger station built in the museum's parking lot, allowing Tesla drivers to charge their cars while making visits.
"Elon Musk: from the deepest wells of my geeky little heart: thank you. This is amazing news," Inman wrote. "Happy Nikola Tesla Day."
